Vegan Aquafaba Macaroons

Share

Published 2016-Nov-17 Updated 2017-Nov-15

- Submitted by Dahlia

(Egg-less Macarons, Vegan Thoothukudi Macaroons)

Macaroon is a type of sweet made with egg whites, any nut powder and sugar with or without food coloring. It has numerous variations in different countries. In India, macaroons are very popular in Tuticorin which is so light that it literally melts in your mouth. It is made of egg white meringue with some cashew nut powder and sugar. During my stay in US, I found that coconut macaroons were very popular around Christmas time which was denser than the ones we get in India. It was more like a cookie. Something very similar to the Indian one was the macarons (note the spelling difference) which was made with meringue but flavored with almond powder. It was found in different colors with a filling in between two cookies. The shape was also different. On googling, I found that Italy, France, Spain, UK and US has other versions of Macaroons.

Today I would like to share the Indian version, also known as Thoothukudi macaroons. I will share the traditional one made with egg white meringue and cashew nut powder some other time. Here I want to share a slight variation using aquafaba meringue and almond powder. It can be enjoyed by those who are allergic to eggs. Please check my detailed post on making aquafaba meringue at home before getting in to the recipe.

Detailed Steps to make Aquafaba Meringue

Take the aquafaba liquid from a can of beans or from homemade cooked beans in a bowl. Cool it in the refrigerator before you begin to whip.

After it becomes like a jelly, you are ready to start whipping. Use an electric hand whisk to whip it. It takes at least 20-25 minutes of continuous whipping to get stiff peaks. If you have cream of tartar add 1/4 tsp while whipping to make the peaks to stay stiff.

Now we can sweeten the meringue. Add 1 tbsp of powdered sugar at a time and continue whipping. If desired add some vanilla extract or almond extract for flavor.

The main part of macaroons is the ground almond powder (or cashew nut powder) added. You can powder it at home or use store bought almond meal. Slowly mix this also with the meringue. Add little at a time while folding it so that the peaks do not get deflated.

Next we can make the macaroons. Take the flavored meringue into piping bags so that we can squeeze easily. Prepare a baking tray and line with parchment paper so that the cookies come out easily after baking. Squeeze out a small portion in the shape of macaroons onto the baking tray. Tap the tray gently couple of times to remove any air bubbles.

Before baking, one last step to be done. Yes!! making macaroons with aquafaba really needs a lot of patience. You need to let the baking tray with the squeezed out meringue air dry for 2 hours until the outside is not sticky to touch.

Bake at 110 degrees C (or even lower) for 1 hour. The macaroons should remain white in color but at the same time get cooked and dry out completely. You can remove one piece to see if it is not sticky. If it feels sticky, you need to bake it longer.

Let the cookies cool in the oven itself before removing them. Later you can enjoy these or store them for 1-2 weeks.